All four of the Cardinals’ minor league members were on duty Saturday and Sunday as the MiLB season was in full swing.
From Class AAA to Low-A, here are some of the notable performances from Cardinals minor leagues over the weekend:
Third Baseman Jordan Walker: Since being unsuccessful in his debut at the Double-A level on Friday, Walker has been driving 3-for-8, running in six runs, running three times and connecting with a two-run homer that has a starting speed of 109 mph had. He’s also only struck once in his three games with Springfield. The 19-year-old’s first double=A home run came in Springfield’s 10-5 win over Northwest Arkansas on Sunday. Walker sent the first pitch he saw from Northwest Arkansas lefty Angel Zerpa into left midfield to give the S-Cards an early lead.
Shortstop Masyn Winn: Winn has gone 4-on-7 in his last two games after also being unsuccessful in Saturday’s High-A Peoria class season opener. The speedy infielder scored four times in Sunday’s doubleheader and scored once. He’s coming off a season that included scoring in 48 games with Peoria .209 in 2021.
People also read…
Right-hander Michael McGreevy: The former first-round pick and opening-day starter from Peoria kept Wisconsin winless in five scoreless innings during the Chiefs’ 7-6 loss on Saturday. He also fanned out five batters, initiated five ground ball outs, and walked just one of his 77 pitches — 52 of which were strikes. McGreevy, a University of California-Santa Barbara product, was pitching just 7 2/3 innings in seven games when he was fielded for Low-A Palm Beach a season ago.
Infielder Nolan Gorman: After getting the night off Saturday, Gorman tied two solo home runs in the Redbirds’ 6-3 loss to the Stripers on Sunday. The show on the record was the ninth multi-homer performance for the infielder, who hit a career-high 25 home runs a season ago. His last multi-homer game was on July 18, 2021. Gorman had gone batless in his first nine at-bats early in 2022, but he has since gone 4-for-8, including Sunday’s multi-homer show.
Catcher Pedro Pages: The 23-year-old backstop homed in Springfield’s win on Sunday, doubled and drove in two runs. Shortly after Walker hit his two-run homer, Pages laced a solo home run to center for his first of the season. He added to his day with a line-drive single in the second inning that overpowered hitter-designate Malcom Nunez. Pages — making the jump from High-A to Double-A this year — batted with Peoria in 80 games last year with a .249 and had .722 OPS.
Right-hander Gordon Graceffo: Graceffo, dubbed the “sensation” of minor-league camp during spring training, threw five shutout innings and limited Wisconsin to two hits while hitting five batsmen in his season debut. Graceffo has five strikeouts, all of which we’re swinging, and he threw 69 pitches (50 strikes) on his debut of the season. Graceffo, a 2021 fifth-round draft pick, made his pro debut at Low-A Palm Beach last year, where he was primarily used as a reliever.
Outfielder Alec Burleson: The 23-year-old hit his second homer of the season in his 2-on-4, two RBI action on Saturday. With infielder Kramer Robertson on base, Burleson pulled a homer into right midfield to give Memphis some insurance runs in an 8-7 win over Gwinnett. In his first four games of the season, Burleson has played 5 to 14 (.357) with three RBIs and a .857 slugging percentage.
Outfielder Chase Pinder: In opening weekend, Pinder went 10-for-15 (.667) with two home runs, seven RBIs and a double. His most prolific performance was his five-hit, five-RBI performance on Saturday, which included one of his two 2022 home runs. The night of five RBIs represented a career high in a single game for Pinder. Since his pro baseball debut in 2017, Pinder has cut .251/.362/.353.
Catcher Aaron Antonini: Antonini tied for a single-game best with his four-night RBI on Saturday during Peoria’s 7-6 loss to Wisconsin. The 23-year-old hit a two-run homer in his first at-bat and added a two-run single in the sixth inning. Antonini has fought .188 in 271 at-bat since his pro debut in 2017.